We miss the good ol' aquarium: the sound of the bubbles, the mesmerizing and relaxing underwater menagerie of aquatic life. Almost everyone in our family owned one in the 90's, but they've seemed to have fallen out of favor the last few years. But we think aquariums are an excellent way not only to introduce an ecosystem to bring life into the home, but can also work as decor and ambient lighting...

Aquariums - they're often brightly lit, filled with visual activity and calls for attention. Lighting, in that sense, can function very similarly by helping diffuse that centralized hub of activity and creating balance to your home.

In the above Tokyo highrise apartment designed by Fixonic, we dig the use of white, red, and blue LED lighting throughout the apartment to break up sections of the home based on functionality. From the office to the kitchen, each area receives bright lighting where it matters most.

By spreading out and multiplying the number of areas that utilizes indirect, non-overhead lighting, architectural details can be highlighted while keeping the aquarium in the background as a 'bonus' aspect of an apartment.

Aquariums like these from Aqua Forest Aquarium in San Francisco redefine what an aquarium can bring into the home.

If fish seem ho-hum, perhaps the Jellyfish Tank would be more to your liking.